Method of supporting sales and maintenance of steam traps and aggregating system for use in the method

Abstract

Disclosed is a system for supporting sales and maintenance activities of steam traps by a seller of the traps to a customer. The system utilizes an aggregating system which effects a step of inputting stored diagnostic result data and model confirmation result data from a diagnostic device which has diagnosed a working condition of each of a plurality of existing steam traps installed in a customer's plant. Based on the diagnostic result data, a first total steam loss amount due to malfunction of steam traps is calculated, the first total steam loss amount comprising aggregation of steam leak amounts of all the existing steam traps. Based on the model confirmation result data, a second total steam loss amount is calculated, which comprises aggregation of differences between inherent steam leak amounts of the existing steam traps under their normal working conditions and inherent steam leak amounts of recommended steam traps under their normal working conditions. A monetary conversion value of an integrated value of a sum of the first total steam loss amount and the second total steam loss amount integrated for a predetermined period is calculated. Comparison data is generated allowing comparison between the monetary converted value and a replacement cost required for lump-sum replacement of all the existing steam traps by the recommended steam traps. The comparison data is outputted for presentation to the customer in sales and/or maintenance activities of the recommended steam traps.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]1. Technical Field of the Invention[0002]The present invention relates to a method of supporting sales and maintenance of steam traps. The invention relates also to an aggregating system for use in the method.[0003]2. Description of the Related Art[0004]For maintenance of a great number of steam traps installed in a factory or plant, there has been proposed a system in which a working condition of each steam trap is diagnosed by a diagnostic device and based on the diagnostic result data obtained for all the steam traps, a host computer calculates a total steam leakage amount relating to total steam loss due to malfunction of the defective steam traps and a monetary converted value of the loss (Japanese published patent gazette No. Hei. 6-14381).[0005]There has been also proposed a system for predicting a replacement / repair fining of each steam trap. In this system, based on diagnostic result data obtained by a diagnostic device for each steam trap, ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0047]With this aggregating system, the aggregating operations after the diagnosis and model confirmation of each existing steam trap (that is, the extremely troublesome and laborious operation of aggregating the great amount of diagnostic result data and model confirmation result data and calculating the first total steam loss amount and the second total steam loss amount) can be carried out automatically and speedily with the calculations by the first and second calculating means. Therefore, by using this aggregating system, the seller of steam traps can readily implement the method of supporting sales and maintenance of steam traps having the first characterizing feature described above.

[0048]Further, with this aggregating system, the model confirmation result data of each existing steam trap can be stored within the diagnosing device together with the diagnostic result data and these model confirmation result data and the diagnostic result data can together be inputted to the inputting means from the diagnosing device. Hence, compared with a construction requiring manual inputting of these model confirmation result data and diagnostic result data by an operator, the inputting operation may be simple and the burden on the operator may be effectively reduced.

[0049]Moreover, with this aggregating system, for the production of the comparison data comparing the monetary converted value and the cost required for lump-sum replacement of the steam traps, the calculation of this monetary converted value (that is, the sum of the monetary converted value of the steam leak amount due to malfunction of the existing steam traps and the monetary converted value of the model difference between the existing steam traps and the recommended steam traps, which sum is integrated for a predetermined period) also can be carried out automatically and speedily by the third calculating means.

[0050]In addition, with this aggregating system, for the production of the comparison data, the calculation of the cost required for lump-sum replacement of the steam traps and the production of the comparison data for comparing the calculated cost and the monetary converted value calculated by the third calculating means too can be carried out automatically and speedily. And, the comparison data can be outputted in a predetermined display format for presentation to the customer during the sales and maintenance activities of the steam traps.

Problems solved by technology

However, steam leak occurs even with a steam trap which is functioning properly and the amount of steam leak (i.e. the steam leak which inevitably occurs when the tap is functioning properly due to certain technical principle of the trap) significantly varies, depending on the particular type or model of the steam trap.

So that, it is not possible to effectively reduce the economic loss suffered by the entire plant due to the steam loss.

In this regard, the conventional systems did not allow effective use of significant costs invested on the maintenance of the steam traps of the entire plant.

So that, the merit of replacement cannot be fully utilized.

In this respect too, the significant replacement costs to be invested on the maintenance and replacement of the steam traps of the entire plant cannot be effectively utilized.

The causes of these problems will lie mostly in the contents of the services proposed by the seller of the steam traps to the customer of the plant and also in how the seller proposes and presents such contents to the customer.

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